LAHORE: Pakistan captain Shahid Afridi has welcomed the input of batting and fielding consultant Javed Miandad in the training camp but insisted that the former captain’s advice only benefitted the younger players.
Afridi, who has played 306 One-Day Internationals (ODI), said that it was difficult for the senior players to change their technique and instead the newcomers should take advantage of Miandad’s tips. “Players like Misbahul Haq, Younus Khan and I are playing for a long time, so it’s very difficult for us to change our technique now,” Afridi told reporters.
“But young players like Umar Akmal and Fawad Alam, who are the future of Pakistan, should definitely take full advantage of such a big opportunity and I would like to thank him [Miandad] for his contribution.”
The flamboyant all-rounder, who has ruled out changing his hard-hitting batting style in the past after criticism from various quarters, however, admitted that he was hopeful of being more cautious in the future.
“I definitely have plans to better my form and want to focus on my performance apart from other responsibilities as the team captain, which are in fact being taken care of by [head coach] Waqar Younis.
“He has owned up to all the responsibilities: organising and motivating players so, in the meantime, I’m working hard on my own performance, which could prove crucial for the team.”
Akmal, Malik snub comments revisited
The 30-year-old all-rounder also clarified the comments he made earlier regarding Kamran Akmal and Shoaib Malik’s selection snub. Last Friday Afridi commented that he was not fully satisfied with the preparations for next year’s World Cup. He said that the expectations should remain modest as key players including Akmal and Malik were missing out from the squad.
“My previous statement was blown out of proportion. I wanted a likely pool of players to be finalised as soon as possible so that we could devise a strategy about the composition of the team prior to the event.
“But now everything is almost clear and confirmed,” said Afridi about the line-up for the upcoming World Cup. “Now what we have in the pool are the best players and we have to use them optimally to yield the best results.”
Afridi to open the batting
The right-handed batsman also said that after the exclusion of Akmal, he was likely to open the innings for Pakistan in Twenty20s. “I will be opening in the Twenty20s after the exclusion of Akmal,” added Afridi. “In the early overs we must have a player who can take advantage of the field restrictions like Akmal used to. The batting at the top order is almost finalised because we have Sohail Tanvir and Abdul Razzaq coming in for the final stages.”
Afridi also suggested including Umar Akmal as a wicket-keeper batsman in the limited-overs format. “We are planning to draft Umar AKmal as our wicket-keeper batsman in the limited overs game which will allow us to recruit an additional specialist batsman or bowler.”
Regarding the upcoming New Zealand tour, Afridi said he expects tough competition since the New Zealand side is strong on their home turf. “They definitely have the home advantage but we’re well aware about the importance of this tour — victory there would significantly raise the confidence of our players before the World Cup.”
Published in The Express Tribune, December 11th, 2010.
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